Synopses & Reviews
PRACTICAL HYPNOTISM A Complete Treatise On Hypnotism. -. Regarding Hypnotism HElRE are very many early theories regarding hypnotism but we will explain only the rqok important ones. Although varlous sclentlfic men spoke of magnetism. and understood tha. t th 1. p wss a power of, a peculiar kind iii h.-bii could exerclse over another it was not until Frederick Anlon esmel a doctor of Vienna appeared III 1775 that the general public gave any special attentl in to the subject. In the year mentioned. Mesmer sent out a circular letter to various scientific societies or Acadamies as they are, called in u r e p e, stating his belief that anlmal magnetlm existed and that through it one man could influence arother. No attention was given his letter. excmt, by the Acadamy of Berlln, which sent hlm an unfavorable reds. In 1778 Mesmer waa obliged for some sason to leave Vienna and went fortunate In con-..--... . - -. to Paris, where he was vertiug to his, ideas dElson the Comte d3Artoiss physlman and one o i the medical professors at the Faculty of Medicine. His SLICC SS was VWY ereat evnrvhoclv waa anxious to be niagnktized, nd-ih luc Viennese doctor was soon obliged to call In assistants. Deleuze, the librarian at the Jardin des Plantes who has been called the Hippocrates of magnetism, ha8 left the following accou lt of Mesmera exuerlments In the middle of a large room stood an oak tub, follr or Ave feet in diameter and oue foot dnm. It, wa. a clnrerl hv a lid made in two pieces a i d - e G i i i in anithiy tub or bucltet. At the bottom of the tub a number of bottles were laid in convergent rows, so that the neck of each bol. tle turned towalds the center. Other bottles filled w lh magnetizedwater tightly corked up were laid in divergent rows with their necks turned outwards. Several rows were thus piled up, and the apparatus was then pronounced to be at high pressure. Thc tub qas fflled with water, to which wer. 0 aometlmes added powdered glass and iron Rlings. There were also some dry tubs that is prepared in the same manner bui t iLhout any additional water. The lid wan w a tteo da dmit of the passage of mov-This theory has been disproven time and time again. However there are still large masses of people whd s t l l belleve 11, this phenomena. The second theory of importance was due to Charcot. According to Charcot hypnotism can be produced by purely physical means such as pressure on dertain parts ol ihe body, and an individual may be hypnotized without his knowledge or consent. This school, lays great E t S s on its division of hypnot c phenomena lnt0 three stages. the cataleptic the lethargic and somnambulic. Charcot bhlieves that the cataleptic stage may be produced - den loud noise or may bpero dburcoeud g hbt y absouudtby opening thesubjects eyes when he is in a lethargic cond t ona, n d forc ng him to look at B, brlght light. A patlent, in this stage will retain, every osition whlch may be given to the hmbs, but the experrmenter can easily change the position. Thera is no stiffness, no ngi ty. The lethargic stage may be brought about primarily by the fixing of the attention, or if an individual is in the cataleptic condition he may be made letharg c by closing his eves. The subject here is unconacibus and is not eadly susceptible to influences from without. Limbs will fall from their own, weight and he is in a condition very similar to that of sleep. Thesomnambulic state may be brought about, in some persona by means of fixed attention and, it is, clalmed, may be induced in all by rubblng the crown of the head of a subject in the lethargic or cataleptic stages...